Heard of aji and kori?

?We are a banana Republic.? Well, that?s what Gonzalo Davila Trueba, from the distant land of Ecuador, says gleefully. Chef Trueba, who hails from the capital city of Quito, points out that with many varieties of bananas, the fruit is consumed in many ways. Chef, who is visiting India for the second consecutive year, is confident that Indians will take to the cuisine, a cousin of the cuisine that is vowing global palates, Peruvian. Hosting guests at Delhi?s Maurya and then Mumbai?s Grand Central, he says there is a lot on offer in the cuisine, even if guinea pigs are on the menu.

Though Ecuador is a small country, we have huge diversity in our food. The country is made of three very distinct geographical regions?the hot Pacific coastal region, the cold Andean mountainous zone in the centre of the country and the humid Amazon forests in the east. Before the Spanish conquest, people had potatoes, corn, chilli and avocado. The Spanish introduced their cuisine, and the result was a fusion we see today. Corn, potatoes and bananas form staples. Pork is the absolute favourite, though lamb, beef as well as rabbits and guinea pigs (yes, those cuddly creatures, locally called cuy) are also popular. You could also get more exotic dishes, such as bulls testicles or anticuchos, the heart of a cow. There are 25 varieties of corn, and 200 ways of preparing it.

Given that the warm El Nino and the cold Humboldt Current meet off the coast, the waters teems in a rich variety of seafood. The most famous of Ecuadorian seafood preparations is the cebiche. A seafood dish marinated in lemon and onions, it can be found in most preparations. Consumed mainly as a marinated appetiser, it is Ecuador?s most popular export and is usually accompanied by popcorn, corn nuts and fried bananas. Lobster, prawn, crab, mussel, shrimp, oyster, mollusc, clams, besides fish?red snapper, cod, sea bass, surgeonfish and grouper, there?s a lot of seafood waiting to be sampled.

Our food is largely non spicy. However, for those who prefer, there is an ubiquitous accompaniment to the cuisine, aji, is a kind of chilli sauce. A cereal-like crop that might well be the future of humankind is the quinoa, which is being recognised as an ?unusually complete protein source?, given that its protein content is very high, about 12-18%.

Traditional food gets highlighted on festive occasions. On Soul?s Day, the common dish is Colada morada, a blueberry and blackberry corn-based and pineapple drink, paired with guaguas de pan, sweet bread in the shape of babies. Families may also leave offerings of fava beans, cuyes (roasted guinea pig), potatoes, or other root vegetables. At Easter, there is fanesca, a soup with cereals, beans and fish. In Ecuador, everyone eats well, and that goes for the visitors too!

Shrimp Cebiche

Serves two

Ingredients

Shrimps 200 g

Tomatoes 60 g

Onions 30 g

Coriander 10 g

Lemon Juice 1

Orange Juice 10 ml

Olive Oil 10 ml

Salt To taste

Boil The shrimps in water with drops of lemon and salt. Remove and chill.

Blanch the tomatoes, peel and deseed.

Cut onions and deseeded tomatoes into slices and mix with chopped coriander, lemon juice, orange juice and salt.

Serve in any fancy stem glass and drizzle with olive oil.

Garnish: Romaine hearts and Lemon Slice

No, it does not take its name from burnt food, though the fiery red of chilli powder is often the dominant colour and suggests a connection! Bunts are a Tulu-speaking community settled around Mangalore, though their language derived more from Malayalam and Coorgi. The most common second names are Shetty and Rai. So now you know where you had heard of Bunts before! And yes, their delectable traditional food is not easily available outside though the discerning Mumbai foodie might just be familiar with kori roti or neer dose, given the high number of Tulu speakers in the city, also responsible for spreading Udupi cuisine . Given that chefs for the cuisine are not a practice, it is a doctor specialising in cosmetology that The Park, Delhi called upon to prepare the dishes. Soft-spoken S Sapna, who loves the kitchen, explains the intricacies of the cuisine.

Simple, traditional, very spicy?those are perhaps the most appropriate adjectives for Bunt food. Our food is everyday food, but unlike the food in rest of southern India. The method of preparation for food is different too, with a huge stress on fresh spices. Dinner is very light?usually just gonji, or rice gruel. Most people have non-vegetarian food, and chicken, kori is a favourite, usually as kori gazi, chicken curry, or kori roti, or kori biryani. Though mutton and lots of fish are also available, occasionally one can even get wild porcupine or even deer! Of seafood, shellfish deserves a special me

Our staple is rice?but the red boiled variety. Only biryanis are made from polished rice. Some main dishes are unique, eg sawundu thethi, or egg fried in spoon?a deep, special one. Gourds are also popular. Locals use leaf preparations such as pathrode, or fried colocasia leaf roll. A unique leaf preparation is basale sappu, made from a spinach-like leaf.

We have set methods of preparing food, and even have separate cooking methods for sea fish and river fish. We use coconut oil and the main spices are coriander, cumin, pepper, fenugreek, carom seeds?but are used only by drying and fresh grinding in stone pestles. Chickpeas, chilli powder, tamarind and coconut are also commonly used to flavour.

Jackfruit and banana are the most common fruits, though others are also available. While they are consumed in their basic forms, a number of desserts are also made. And yes, almost everyone has toddy, which could accompany any meal!

Rava fish fry

Serves two

Ingredients

Mackerel 250 g

Vinegar 1 tbsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder 2 tbsp

Salt A pinch

Semolina 1 tbsp

Coconut oil

Procedure

Mix the red chilli powder, turmeric, vinegar and salt to make a paste.